[responsive][/responsive]There’s nothing like that unexpected upgrade to first class. Room to breathe, a little space to call your own, and the prospect of a relaxing and uninterrupted flight. The publisher of Condé Nast Traveler gets that, and has used the same concept to deliver a higher-end look and feel to its readers.

“Condé Nast Traveler’s move is a significant investment in print as many publications are shifting their focus to digital,” notes Sydney Ember in The New York Times. “The idea is to give the magazine’s affluent consumers a more substantial product — something they would want to display on their coffee table.”

According to Ember, the luxurious makeover sees the light in September of this year, with larger, thicker pages and a heavier cover.

“It’s going to feel like the luxury product that it is,” Wackermann declares.

“The luxury consumer loves their print,” Wackermann said to Ember. “There’s something tactile about it, and there’s something that feels great stocking it in your bookshelves and holding onto it.”

And that something naturally appeals to advertisers of luxury goods, who will be happy to fill the extra space, as evidenced by this quote from Melissa Pordy of Tiffany & Co NA: “Luxury brands always love to see themselves as big as possible.”

It makes sense that they love the travel magazine sector too.

“Travel magazines in general have largely avoided the pressures, including a drop-off in the number and quality of ads, that have plagued the rest of the print industry in recent years,” Ember notes. “One reason is that ad buyers are still willing to pay top dollar to get their brands in front of the travel magazines’ target readers — consumers with cash to spare.”

Those consumers can expect to enjoy some lovely new leg room and a good bit of eye candy when they pack that September issue of Traveler in their carry-on.